City records worker denied a promotion for making her job look “too easy” is left watching the rookie she trained get the pay raise and desk upgrade: ‘I’m not quitting. I’m just here. Clocking in. Doing exactly what's asked. No more, no less’

There's a special place in bureaucratic purgatory for workers who dare to be both competent and efficient. Our city records office hero has spent nearly four years navigating the nonsense maze of local government databases, deciphering ancient permit codes, and single-handedly keeping the whole system from collapsing under its own mediocrity. She has more institutional knowledge than the city archive itself, yet the only thing management notices is how inconvenient it would be to lose someone who "makes it look too easy."

The promotion carrot dangles: a shred more pay, fewer frantic walk-ins, and the supreme glory of a slightly better-positioned chair. She interviews, she nails it, and then,  plot twist.

They explain she's too good at her current job to be allowed to leave it. Apparently, if you achieve professional competence in the public sector, you're not rewarded, you're held captive. The position goes to the rookie, whose principal skill is asking our shooting star for help twice a day. The message is clear: if you want to advance, never solve a problem too quickly, and for the love of God, avoid being indispensable.

Like what you see? Follow our WhatsApp channel for more.

Author image for Etai Eshet Etai Eshet
Advertisement

Stay up to date by following us on Facebook!

Tags

management boss workplace-stories hr toxic-workplace manager bosses work PTO managers supervisor workplace Horrible Bosses work-life balance
Scroll Down For The Next Article

Also From FAIL Blog

20-year-old almost college-graduated digital marketer is tired of her “corporate girlie” era and is brought to tears every Monday as her dream job turns out to be hours of commute to an uninspired office, to do no meaningful work: ‘all I wanna do is cry’

20-year-old almost college-graduated digital marketer is tired of her “corporate girlie” era and is brought to tears every Monday as her dream job turns out to be hours of commute to an uninspired office, to do no meaningful work: ‘all I wanna do is cry’

Trending Now

17-year-old babysitter quits after her boss’s husband, Jason, leaves, making her unpaid primary caretaker of their 1, 5, and 7-year-old unruly kids, dealing with their mom, Mina's daily emotional meltdowns: ‘ The 1-year-old calls me mom’

17-year-old babysitter quits after her boss’s husband, Jason, leaves, making her unpaid primary caretaker of their 1, 5, and 7-year-old unruly kids, dealing with their mom, Mina's daily emotional meltdowns: ‘ The 1-year-old calls me mom’

01
18-year-olds' plans to move out of their parents' houses for the first time hit a snag when their third 17-year-old friend declares she's not moving in right away and not paying rent: 'It doesn't make sense to pay for somewhere I don't even live'

18-year-olds' plans to move out of their parents' houses for the first time hit a snag when their third 17-year-old friend declares she's not moving in right away and not paying rent: 'It doesn't make sense to pay for somewhere I don't even live'

02
'Sorry, not good enough': Job candidate gets rejected for not having 5 years of experience in a software that launched last year

'Sorry, not good enough': Job candidate gets rejected for not having 5 years of experience in a software that launched last year

03
Employee tricks his lackadaisical coworker, Seth, into self-sabotage, exposing that he hasn't been doing his own work and making others do it for him: 'He got lambasted for [messing] up such an important project and was put on temporary leave without pay'

Employee tricks his lackadaisical coworker, Seth, into self-sabotage, exposing that he hasn't been doing his own work and making others do it for him: 'He got lambasted for [messing] up such an important project and was put on temporary leave without pay'

04
Mother pays her 17-year-old daughter $60 a week to rent her room for a home office, sparking conflict with her 15-year-old son, who is getting nothing: ‘[Their grandmother] told me I was favoring my daughter and should be paying them equally’

Mother pays her 17-year-old daughter $60 a week to rent her room for a home office, sparking conflict with her 15-year-old son, who is getting nothing: ‘[Their grandmother] told me I was favoring my daughter and should be paying them equally’

05
Labourer told "just do your job" while running boss's entire manufacturing operation and doing 4 jobs after the other 3 workers quit, they oblige and quickly put the company under: ‘[In] 3 weeks the company ended up going into liquidation’

Labourer told "just do your job" while running boss's entire manufacturing operation and doing 4 jobs after the other 3 workers quit, they oblige and quickly put the company under: ‘[In] 3 weeks the company ended up going into liquidation’

06
Advertisement